APA Citation Style: Home

What is APA?

APA Style originated in 1929, when a group of psychologists, anthropologists, and business managers convened and sought to establish a simple set of procedures, or style rules, that would codify the many components of scientific writing to increase the ease of reading comprehension.

As with other editorial styles, APA Style consists of rules or guidelines that a publisher observes to ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material. It concerns uniform use of such elements as

selection of headings, tone, and length;

punctuation and abbreviations;

presentation of numbers and statistics;

construction of tables and figures;

citation of references; and

many other elements that are a part of a manuscript.

Other sources of Information about APA

The most comprehensive information on APA style can be found in the APA Publication manualPublication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). (2010). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Reference guides to APA citation style are available in the Library and the Learning Enhancement Center